Comparison of the Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Elective and Emergency Surgery for Crohn’s Disease: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Aim: Most patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) have a lifetime threat of emergency or elective surgery. These patients tend to have a high risk of postoperative complications. This study aims to compare the preoperative and operative characteristics and postoperative complications of patients who underwent emergency and elective surgery for CD. Method: Patients with CD aged ≥18 years who underwent emergency and scheduled surgery between January 2016 and April 2021 in a single-center general surgery clinic were included in this study. The patients’ demographic characteristics, comorbidities, drugs used, indications for surgery, preoperative laboratory findings, surgery type, anastomosis method, blood transfusion, infection parameters, surgical procedures, need for a postoperative intensive care unit, length of hospital stay, early postoperative complications, need for reoperation, and early surgical mortality were evaluated retrospectively from the hospital files. Results: The study included 25 patients within the date range determined retrospectively. There were 18 (72%) men and 7 (28%) women, and the mean age was 37.7±12.5 years. Eleven (44%) patients were operated on under emergency conditions, and 14 (56%) patients were surgically treated under elective circumstances. An ostomy was performed in 5 (20%) of the emergency surgery patients. Conclusion: Postoperative serious complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥3) still occur at high rates in patients operated on for CD. Ostomy indication and a longer hospital stay are more common in patients undergoing emergency surgery.

Keywords

• crohn’s disease
• surgery
• early complication